What It Really Costs to Buy and Live in Antigua

Antigua's purchase costs can be added up from published rates. Living costs vary far more.

What you pay to buy

A non-citizen needs a Non-Citizen Land Holding Licence. The licence fee is 7% of the purchase price, following a 2020 amendment to the Non-Citizens Land Holding Regulations, as covered earlier in this series. Some guides still quote the older 5%, which is out of date.

The buyer's stamp duty is 2.5% of the property value, and legal fees are typically 1% to 2%. Guides also list an insurance fee of about 0.2% and an EC$100 licence application fee. Adding the 7% licence, 2.5% stamp duty and 1% to 2% legal fees gives buyer-side costs of roughly 10.5% to 11.5% of the price before surveys and insurance.

A purchase through an approved Citizenship by Investment project is exempt from the licence, as covered in the relocation and citizenship articles earlier in this series.

What you pay while you own

Annual property tax is quoted at 0.1% to 0.5% of assessed value on Antigua, with none on Barbuda, though one 2026 guide says there is no annual property tax at all, which is an outlier. Two guides add that non-residents who own undeveloped land pay an undeveloped land tax of 10% to 20% of its value, depending on how long they have held it. That is unconfirmed, and an attorney should confirm it before anyone buys undeveloped land.

What you pay when you sell

The seller pays stamp duty of 7.5%, and several guides add a 5% appreciation tax for non-resident sellers. Agent commission is typically around 5%, paid by the seller. The exit cost is large, so hold periods and exit plans matter.

Sales tax and living costs

The Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax is quoted at 17% on most goods and services in several 2026 guides, though some older ones still say 15%. Living costs depend heavily on who you ask. One data source puts a single person's monthly spending, excluding rent, at about US$577 to US$670. A consultancy guide puts a single professional at US$2,000 to US$3,500 a month and a family of four at US$4,500 to US$7,000 with private schooling. Utilities for an 85 square metre flat are quoted at US$239 to US$290, and electricity for an apartment with moderate air conditioning at US$150 to US$300.

That sixfold gap is not an error so much as a difference in assumptions: renting or owning, eating imported or local food, and private schooling or none. The Eastern Caribbean dollar is pegged at EC$2.70 to the US dollar, which helps anyone budgeting from a dollar income.

Putting it together

A buyer should plan for about 10.5% to 11.5% in purchase costs and a much larger exit cost, and should build a monthly budget from a specific property and lifestyle. Ask an attorney for a written schedule of every fee before committing.